Well, I made it back to New York City last week, and couldn’t wait to eat/review my first NYC pancakes since January (remember my Ditch Plains review?)! At the recommendation of a friend, we went to Upper West Side brunch spot Good Enough to Eat, located on 83rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

This cute little gem in my NYC neighborhood made me wish it existed when I was growing up – and that was before I even tried the pancakes!

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to not only see multiple pancake-options, but to see a perfect combination of traditional and diverse pancake-options. While the waitress informed us the most popular pancakes on the menu are the Apple Pancakes, in honor of summer, I went with the Peter Paul Pancakes.

Based on the perfectly melted chocolate chips, the crispy edges, and the fluffy inside, I knew these pancakes would be Good Enough to Eat before my very first bite. When pancakes are made with more than one ingredient, it’s easy to add too much or too little of such ingredients; however, the Peter Paul Pancakes were cooked to perfection. My only recommendation for this dish would be to perhaps add a slice of pineapple on the side, instead of a lemon, to complement the coconut sprinkling. That being said, with all those chocolate chips, I needed a big glass of milk to accompany my breakfast – as I bet this is the case with most GETE patrons, perhaps the dish should be renamed Peter Paul and Dairy Pancakes!

For Ma’amCakes’ first summertime review in New York City, this restaurant was a fantastic recommendation by my friend Julie. And the best part is that Good Enough to Eat serves breakfast every day! Overall, I’d say the Peter Paul Pancakes are definitely Good Enough to Eat!

Last weekend I was incredibly fortunate to have Writer/Director James Gunn join me as a guest reviewer for Ma’amCakes!

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, followed by a brief stop in New York City to earn his MFA in creative writing from Columbia University, James moved to Los Angeles fourteen years ago to pursue writing and directing. Since his long trek across country, James has both written and directed major screenplays including Slither, and Rainn Wilson/Ellen Page comedy Super, and has written horror/sci-fi flick Dawn of the Dead, comedy Scooby Doo, and many others.

For his Ma’amCakes debut, James picked Studio City hot spot Hugo’s, located on Riverside Drive. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: I’ve already done a review at Hugo’s! Well True Ma’amCakes Followers, to switch it up a bit, I decided to get the wackiest pancakes on the menu! Can you guess which ones?

Uh, maybe a better question is… where the hell are the pancakes? “Do you know where the pancakes are on this menu,” said James, “I seriously can’t find them!” Well James, the only reason I knew where the pancakes were located is because I had the same issue five months ago. I’m so flattered Hugo’s took my suggestion of separating the pancake options from the eggs, instead of burying them on the bottom of page three.

Anyway!

If you haven’t already guessed, in honor of my obsession with summer and all-things tropical, I went with the Roasted Pineapple-Coconut Pancakes, while James went with the All-American breakfast of Buttermilk Pancakes and a glass of milk:

I figured since I was dining with such an artistic Director, I’d get the most artistic Ma’amCakes on the menu. After a few bites, I realized that the reason these pancakes were so good is because they contained the proper amount of ALL their ingredients. After using the Dewey Decimal System to find the ingredients on the menu, I re-read “topped with sliced bananas, toasted slivered almonds, and coconut.” I found it interesting that the roasted pineapple was cooked inside the pancakes, while the remaining ingredients were on top. I myself am shocked to say this, but guess what Hugo’s? I wouldn’t change a thing about the placement of these ingredients! The only suggestion I have about these Ma’amCakes is they should be fluffier – I personally would rather be more overwhelmed with pancake, than with fruit.

While James’ Buttermilk Pancakes (with a glass of milk) was very traditional, the side of raisins? Not so much. In fact, looking back now, it actually looks like there are bugs on his plate. “These pancakes are really good,” said James, “but yeah, I could do without the raisins.” Well apparently the pancakes were really good, because when I looked down fifteen minutes later, they were gone! “I can’t believe I ate the entire plate. That’s probably the most I’ve ever eaten in one sitting!” While the raisins were the only thing left behind, I do give Hugo’s props for trying to make a somewhat boring dish, interesting.

Overall, it was another successful Ma’amCakes review at Hugo’s. As far as the Roasted Pineapple-Coconut Pancakes: the fruit was fresh, the coconut did its job of bringing me back to a day on the beach, and the pancakes took me home. When asking which pancakes he’d try next time, James replied with “the pumpkin pancakes!” Good choice! In fact, I might have the same.

Thank you so much James, for being a part of Saturday morning brunch with Ma’amCakes! Be sure to check out James’ newest project, video game Lollipop Chainsaw now in stores.